San Clemente

Everything you wanted to know about curating, art to look out for and what makes a video art not film. Noelle curated this year's exhibition of the finalists for the prize so she has a [rather helpful] insight into some truly fascinating works. Don't say we don't keep you artistically well fed.

If you haven't already, go listen to Alia's interview for more art this season.

See the Turner Prize exhibition for yourself at Towner.

Forensic Architecture is a multidisciplinary research group based at Goldsmiths, University of London that uses architectural techniques and technologies to investigate cases of state violence and violations of human rights around the world. 

Their investigations have provided decisive evidence in a number of legal cases, including in national and international courts in Germany, The Hague, Greece, Israel, Guatemala, as well as in citizen tribunals and human rights processes, leading to military, parliamentary, and UN inquiries. Alongside their presentation in such political and judicial forums, Forensic Architecture’s investigations have also been shown in cultural and artistic venues as examples of the use of creative practice in an image- and data-laden environment.

Sarah (Assistant Director / Operations) is responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of FA – including financial, HR, legal, and administrative matters – and strategic financial and operational planning.

She is a graduate of the University of Toronto (BSc) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil), where her research focused on the destruction of heritage sites in conflict.

Sarah joined the team in 2017, having previously worked at B+H Architects, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Aga Khan Museum.

FA's investigation into the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Gaza (2018-2022), with human rights group Al-Haq, led them to call on The Prosecutor of the ICC to consider this destruction as amounting to war crimes, and to evaluate their potential contribution to apartheid as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute. 

Journalist Roshdi Sarraj was killed as he tried to shield his wife, Shorouq, and one-year-old daughter, Dania, from shrapnel in their family home. He co-founded ⁠Ain Media⁠ with Yasser Murtaja. Murtaja was killed by an Israeli sniper while covering the 2018 Great March of Return. A 2019 UN inquiry found reasonable grounds to suggest there was intentional targeting of journalists, including Murtaja, by the Israeli army during the march. Ain Media were vital for the Living Archaeology in Gaza project.

Shawn Ginwight’s conversation with Brené Brown: 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/27qUt2DfcLROhzFZaO2gqG?si=d4e46b25a28d470d  

Joel Stokes on Silwan: 

https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/“Silence%2C”%20Heritage%2C%20and%20Sumud%20in%20Silwan%2C%20East%20Jerusalem.pdf  

Organisations supporting Silwan:

https://www.silwanic.net 

www.iwitnesssilwan.org 

Information on Forensic Architecture taken from: 

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/turner-prize-2018/forensic-architecture

https://forensic-architecture.org/about/agency

Sarah's work:

https://forensic-architecture.org/about/team/member/sarah-nankivell

Living Archaeology in Gaza: 

https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/living-archaeology-in-gaza 

Women's Prize Shortlisted Author Jacqueline Crooks talks about her stunning debut Fire Rush. It's a love letter to Black British music in the 70's and the people who made it. She shares her journey to finding her voice, writing advice, methods of decolonising the English language and her iconic wardrobe of one-off pieces.

Pages discussed in the intro: 167-68, 180-81

Check out Dionne Edwards' interview and Tim Mackenzie-Smith's Cymande interview.

The second part of Carmel's beautiful interview covers EVERYTHING from grief and Catullus, Impressionism, New York in the 90's, AI, book recs and much more.

Her book In Ordinary Time is out in hardback right now so go find yourself a copy and cancel any and all plans so you can read uninterrupted.

Alia Al-Senussi works around the world bringing talented artists to major galleries and projects. She talks to Grace about how art can bring social change, her favourite artists and her passion for art from the Middle East. If you want to impress your friends at dinner parties or strangers moving further away from you on public transport, look no further.

For more art go to the San Clemente site or listen to Marta Francescini's episode about fashion curation at the V&A.

Irish Essayist Carmel McMahon talks about decolonising storytelling, bringing healing to the past and what time means to us. Her book In Ordinary Time is a brilliant memoir about her personal history and that of her country. She manages to make the heavy and uncomfortable feel remarkably approachable and freeing. 

For more literary adventures go to our website or listen to the previous episode with Costa Prize Winner Claire Fuller.

[Update: after some distribution issues, this podcast is dated 16/10/23]

Bestselling Novelist Claire Fuller won the 2021 Costa Novel Award and was Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction with her latest work Unsettled Ground, published with Penguin Random House. 

Today, she joins Grace to talk about her relatively recent turn to literature as well as the legality of burying bodies in your garden, the ethics of eating octopuses and what authors owe vs what filmmakers owe to their audience. 

For more of her recommendations and writing advice, go to Claire's blog (clairefuller.co.uk). 

If you like this interview, read our very first interview with Bestselling Biographer Miranda Seymour about her biography on Jean Rhys (we can confirm Claire read it, liked it and is a Rhys fan herself). 

For more interviews, go to sanclemente.co.uk or wait longingly by the phone for the next podcast episode. 

This week film composer Will Bates talks about his work on the upcoming film The Estate. We also cover theremin museums, how to build your own orphanage for musical instruments and finding your path as a musician. 

Read the interview with Tim Mackenzie-Smith about the incredible Cymande and his documentary on them 

Marta Franceschini, Fashion Researcher, Fashion Historian and Co-Curator of the Fashioning Masculinities Exhibition at the V&A talks Made In Italy, Tom Ford and obviously the viral moments from Harry Styles and Timotheé Chalamet. Find about the meaning of the suit and the development of menswear to date. Like the exhibition, this conversation goes beyond the binary and keeps in mind the playfulness at the heart of fashion.

Fashioning Masculinities is on at the V&A until 6th Nov.

Pick up a copy of the exhibition book to learn more or read the article with extras from the interview.

If you wish to satisfying your thirst for menswear further dive into this article on BTS' relationship with fashion, self expression and artistic power; or read our latest interview with Writer/Director Dionne Edwards about her latest BBC and BFI backed film 'Pretty Red Dress'.

Grace talks to games designer Nick Murray about his work on the upcoming Poetry Games Exhibition at the National Poetry Library for this year's London Literature Festival. Like his work, this is an unguided exploration of the human condition, namely,  being 'niche', the Queen's passing and the importance of zombie unions. If you're looking to start a cult or reconnect with your dead tamagotchi then listen on. 

Find more of Nick's work at: cassettewitch.itch.io

Find more from San Clemente at: sanclemente.co.uk

Poetry Games opens on 20th October. You can find it online and at The National Poetry Library (in Royal Festival Hall).